Let Him Lie
by Sam the Wise
Summary: Three months after Wally's supposed death, the Justice League gets a signal. T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow. Okay, this idea suddenly popped into my head while I was... taking a nap. Yup. Sorry if this seems a little... slow, or rushed, or just badly written. I wrote this late at night. So. Here we go!**

* * *

The cave was eerily silent, the very thing that made the Mountain so welcoming and homely absent. With Superboy and Nightwing off doing their own thing, and Artemis returned home, the cave was left to M'gaan, Bart (Who'd claimed the cave was too boring and had 'gone on a walk'), and Garfield (Though M'gaan, much to her chagrin, hadn't been able to find him).

She assumed Garfield was quite taken with the notebook she'd gotten him to keep him busy.

_Did he even like notebooks?_ Oh well.

The peaceful silence didn't last when finally Nightwing and Superboy returned and Batman suddenly found it appropriate to call them just seconds before they nearly collapsed. Superboy looked eager, while Nightwing looked less than pleased and even a little bothered.

That is, until Batman suggested they call in the rest of the old team. Namely, Artemis.

At that point, M'gaan knew exactly what this was about.

* * *

Getting the team together was no easy task, considering Nightwing was half asleep while trying to get in contact. Once they had gathered in the main hall, newer members excluded, Nightwing's former mentor appeared on the single largest screen in the room. He wasted no time in telling them _exactly_ what was going on.

"Just two hours ago we received a signal. Weak, but traceable."

He carefully explained how it was messing with their sensors, why it was so important ("We need those sensors for..."), and then a list of possibilities that no one seemed to want to believe. "We think you should check it out. He is your former team member, and therefor our first choice."

Artemis picked up on the 'he'. She held up her hands as if preparing to comment, but then dropped them, "We aren't exactly a team anymore." Since the 'incident', the team was distant and spread out. The few that still kept in close contact were hardly any better.

Batman ignored Artemis and continued. "The reason I called you in is because the signal is very specific." He paused to upload a long string of coordinates to the center of the screen for all to see.

"It's coming from the North Pole."

It took no more than a second for realization to flash across each and every one of their faces in turn, cycling through shock, anger, possibly _hope_. Artemis couldn't seem to figure out what to feel. Nightwing was the first to speak.

"Wait, wait... I hope this isn't some kind of joke you guys are-"

"No. This is not a joke. I've uploaded the coordinates and I want you to follow them and find out what is causing it." Behind Batman stood Flash, who looked as if he wanted to come along to see if it really was what they all were thinking. "If it's what I think it is... call in. I want to know the second you find out. Understood?"

Nightwing nodded and turned to face his old team. Whether he was excited or worried was hard to tell behind his domino mask, but the straight line that formed his mouth said anxious. He smiled weakly. "So. What are we waiting for?"

Never before had they left a room so fast.

* * *

The flight was long, and so far, nothing had come up on scans. They had considered returning when something bright and _loud _nearly knocked them right out of the sky, if only out of shock. Only moments after the first shock came another pulse of light. And this time, the blinding light remained, hovering inches above the ground.

Once landed, they didn't so much as flinch when the light suddenly expanded and grew, forcing them to cover their eyes or risk blinding themselves.

Then the most unexpected thing happened.

When the light began dimming and shrinking, out ran a brightly colored yellow and red blur. Rather than stopping, it suddenly collapsed face first into the snow and skidding to a halt not far from the light and the team. It did not get up again.

Artemis wasn't the only one to gasp.

"Wally?"

* * *

**Oh this is so badly written... urgh. Anyway, I am a horrible person for doing that. I'll get working on the second chapter hopefully by tomorrow, and get it up by the end of the week.**

**I know, I know. I'm not a very good writer, but I like writing. You know? I love reviews as well as constructive criticism. Got a problem with it? I did something wrong? Let me know. I like to make sure I'm doing my best.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright here we go. Last chapter was kinda crappy, but it was a starter and a placeholder of sorts to get me going. This one will be much better. **

* * *

_"Wally?"_

They stood there, frozen a lot longer than they probably should have. The light had vanished just seconds ago, leaving them alone with a motionless speedster who, so far, hadn't gotten up or given any evidence that he was still alive at all. From this distance, they weren't sure if he was even breathing. Millions and millions of questions were waiting to be answered, but for now, they were ignored in favor of getting Wally -if it really was Wally- out of the cold and back to the mountain.

"But... he vanished... he was gone... I saw it!"

Artemis suddenly lurched forward and ran towards Wally's prone form without another word, collapsing by his side and rolling him onto his back. _No tears_, she told herself. _Wally wouldn't want you crying_. Said speedster didn't so much as groan in response to her rough handling. _And that scared her_.

She became more worried when she noticed blackened burns along his sides, reaching all the way around to his shoulder on one side. As far she they could tell, the burns hadn't touched skin, but it was enough to get them moving. Beyond the burns, Artemis could barely tell if he was unconscious, or simply sleeping.

_You always were a heavy sleeper..._

* * *

_5:25, Saturday morning, Palo Alto_

_Artemis had woken half an hour ago, as per usual, waiting patiently in the kitchen for Wally to get up and join her on their usual saturday morning walk. Wally had been the one to suggest it a few months back, considering it to be a 'good bonding experience'. Artemis was just glad he was being creative for once. And every morning, she had to remind him to slow down before she lost him... which happened much more often that either cared to admit._

_But this morning, Wally didn't come greet her with a kiss as he always did, didn't make the whole neighborhood know that he was awake. _

_She hated it when he did that._

_"WALLY! Wally wake up and get in here!" She almost couldn't resist the urge to shake her fist comically, opting to rush into their shared bedroom and shake him awake instead. And even doing so, he refused to awaken. Just when his snoring was starting to get on her nerves. _

_Calmly, she left the room, went back to the kitchen, and filled a cup of water. Then, just as calmly, walked back into the room and came to a stop on his side of the bed, trying and failing to keep her face blank._

_She then proceeded to poor the entire cup of water on his face. _

_"WHATISITWHATDIDIDO?!" Wally squirmed, flailed his arms a little, then bolted upright, eyes wide and teeth chattering. And then he... gave Artemis the most flirtatious smile she had ever seen, a look only Wally could pull off. "Mornin' babe. Can't say I'm too fond of my new alarm clock. Think I could get a new one? You know, _one thatisn't incredibly physical?!"_  
_

_"You forgot, didn't you? Again. For the fourth time." She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. Wally threw his hands up in front of him defensively._

_"Forgot... what did I..." His eyes widened even further when he realized what was going on. "Oh. Hey, give me a moment and I'll, uh... I'll get, uh, ready..." He flashed a smile, jumped out of bed, then sped down the hallway to the bathroom. Probably to get out from under her scrutinizing glare._

_Artemis sighed and shook her head. Today would definitely be a long day..._

* * *

She drew herself out of her flashback and turned to face the rest of her former team, opening and closing her mouth yet unable to come up with the words she so badly wanted to speak. But the team didn't need words, and understood instantly, rushing to her side and aiding her in carrying the unconscious Wally back to the ship.

When safely in the air, Dick drew them away from the windows. "That light... are you guys thinking what I _might_ possibly be thinking?"

Kaldur and M'gaan nodded. Connor didn't seem to hear, and all Artemis could do was stare back at Wally numbly. The sudden feeling of hope and love and anger and so many other emotions clouded her thoughts, drowning out the rest of the team in favor of her own little world, population two. The corner of her mouth twitched upward.

"I believe it is not so one-dimensional as we may think." Kaldur folded his arms an looked each present member over carefully. "Perhaps Wally did not simply disappear, but rather, was _transported_ somewhere else."

"Possibly. But where?"

Dick shrugged, "Didn't Flash say something about a... force. A dimension, or something. Maybe that's where he went? You think he'd remember if -ah- when he wakes up?"

When he didn't a response, the former boy wonder turned away from them and set up a link to Batman.

"Batman? It's Ki-Wally. It's Wally. We found him."

* * *

Flash, or currently, Barry Allen as he was not wearing his cowl, was the first League member the team came ran into. For someone so laid back, he could look_ angry_. And no one wanted to cross him.

He'd lead them to the infirmary, a large white room that lead into a hallway, where partitioned rooms lined the wall. They brought him to one of the smaller rooms with a single hospital bed in the center, setting him down and making him as comfortable as possible. They didn't dare remove his uniform until he woke.

A few other League members showed up later, including Wally's Aunt Iris, and his parents who didn't look too pleased to be there. Roy also appeared, stuck between seething and ranting about how stupid it was that he'd joined Flash and Impulse in the first place, and mulling around the infirmary, lending a comforting hand where needed. Clark made a quick appearance to check on them, bringing with him Batman himself.

But Batman never spoke to them. In fact, he did quite a good job of avoiding them all together. They were too caught up with Wally to ask.

"Where did you find him? W-what happened out there?" Wally's former mentor was asking faster than the team could think, Kaldur having to ask the speedster to slow down.

"The same spot he uh... he disappeared." Dick answered, "He just showed up, out of nowhere. We're still trying to figure it out ourselves." He looked over his shoulder, into the room behind him wherein lie Wally, Artemis sitting beside him and holding his hand tightly. No one wanted to bother her. "We might have theories, but that's just it. They're only theories and I've... got to talk to Batman."

Barry moved out of the way for Dick to get by and begin his search for his own former mentor.

He stopped just inside Wally's room to watch with a sad smile.

"Come on Wally. We brought you back here. Now you have to repay us by _waking up_." Artemis sounded excited, rather than sad, happy to have_ her_ speedster back once more. "This reminds me of that time you went headfirst against Bane. Remember that? You were in a coma for weeks. And then..."

Barry left before she could continue, smiling all the way down the hall. His nephew was in good hands.

* * *

**Oh wow. Sorry if this seems lame, or boring or something. I'm trying to pick it up but it's definitely not ending here. I've still got a few more chapters to write up! **

**Anyway, you know the drill. Review, or something. It really makes me a happy person!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Took a while, sorry. Also, I've realized I've been spelling M'ganns name wrong. Whoops.**

* * *

Only two days had passed and the team was growing restless. Dick and Artemis had taken to the wiry chairs on either side of the room, opposite sides of the bed Wally currently lay in, who was dressed in something much more comfortable that his Kid Flash costume. A heart monitor set off to Wally's left signaled that his heart was beating steadily. A soothing pulse.

Since they'd brought him in, Artemis hadn't left his side, leaving her teammates to bother her until she fed herself, letting her know exactly what Wally would think if she'd been starving herself. Her grim replies - quiet mutterings and warnings, then eventually an 'okay' to get them off her back - were unsettling. It didn't feel like her. It didn't feel like Artemis.

Twice M'gann had come by in an attempt to convince her to let Wally be; that he would be fine, that he would wake up and she would just end up wearing herself down with worry. Unsuccessful, she had left, and Artemis had continued her vigil at Wally's side.

The rest of the team didn't even try, knowing well enough how Artemis could be, in spite of how much it hurt them to see her in this way, although Dick had tried more than once to get them together as a group. It never worked.

And eventually, five days later, she got up. She left the room. She found a a solitary space, dark and out of the way.

And she cried.

* * *

This was the longest she'd been out of that room, talking to them in a voice that wasn't a broken whisper.

Dick put on a forced smile that was painful to look at. "Hey, Artemis... hey, he'll be fine. This is Wally, remember?" He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "He'll wake up, say something stupid, and you'll smack him for it! Just like old times..."

The noise Artemis made in response couldn't even be described as normal. She had her eyes shut tight until the corners were crinkled, her hands balled into fists around the hem of her shirt. But she didn't cry, or lash out, or scream. She just... stood there, motionless, awkward. And that in itself was unsettling.

"Artemis? C'mon. Why don't we get out of here. There's that diner Wally likes, right? What's it called...?"

But she didn't say anything, opting instead to rush out of the room before Dick could finish, shocking both him and M'gann, who'd stayed to help.

_Dick move, Dick._ He snorted. _Mention his favorite place while he's lying in a hospital bed, probably dying._

He left the room, leaving M'gann to wonder what about what had just happened.

* * *

Upon arrival, Artemis had made herself a spot next to Wally on the hospital bed, stroking his hair, mumbling comforting words into his ears, _begging_ for him to open his eyes. For hours, she stayed like this, and eventually people stopped visiting. Whether they had given up or didn't want to bother her... she didn't know. And at the moment, Wally's face - a face she had memorized - was at the forefront of her mind.

It was only an hour past midnight when the heart monitor started beeping out of control.

* * *

**I'M SORRY. This is _really_ short, barely worth being called a chapter, and I'm getting sloppy... But don't forget to review and whatnot anyway. (Constructive criticism as well; I need it). Things should get better in the next chapter. Also, check my profile for updates. If a chapter is taking long, answers will be there.**


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